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For disabled drivers, self-service gas stations are anything but convenient

Published: 22 Oct. 2025, 14:49 Updated: 22 Oct. 2025, 18:48

Singer Kang Won-rae shares a photo on Facebook on Oct. 12, saying that while he was once denied assistance at a self-service gas station, staff at a station in Yongin, Gyeonggi, warmly welcome him. A wheelchair is visible behind the driver’s seat, right. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

For tens of thousands of disabled drivers in Korea, a seemingly routine trip to the gas station may be anything but — all because of how the system was built.

“For me to use a self-service gas station, I first have to search for a phone number, call, explain my situation and ask for help,” said Kim Hak-jin, a former national para table tennis player who competed in the 2024 Paris Paralympics. “If there's someone waiting behind me, I feel pressure. It’s just too inconvenient.”

Kim avoids self-service gas stations whenever possible. As a wheelchair user, he said, pumping gas independently takes more steps.

He must first exit his vehicle and get himself into his wheelchair. Even then, reaching the touch screen is a challenge — it can be too high to reach.

“I try to go to staffed gas stations, even if it costs a little more,” Kim said. “But nowadays, it’s hard to find one because most are self-service.”

His experience reflects a broader problem for disabled drivers — an issue that entered the public spotlight after singer Kang Won-rae recently posted about it on social media. Kang wrote on Facebook on Oct. 12 that when he once asked a self-service station employee for help, he was told, “At self-service gas stations, drivers must pump their own gas.”

“That applies to everyone,” said the employee. “It’s the law.”

YouTuber Park We, who uses a wheelchair, attempts to use a self-service gas station in 2020. Seated in his wheelchair, he struggles to reach the payment terminal due to its height. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Comments poured in from disabled people and their families sharing similar experiences. YouTuber Park We, who uses a wheelchair, also highlighted the issue in one of his videos, saying that “the payment screen is too high for wheelchair users.”

As of 2019, there were 150,298 licensed drivers with disabilities in Korea, according to the National Police Agency. For many of them, driving is essential to their livelihoods and daily routines due to limited public transport options.

But refueling can be a hurdle from the start. According to Opinet, the Korea National Oil Corporation’s price information system, 59.3 percent of the 10,465 gas stations nationwide — or 6,206 — are now self-service.

A growing number of EV charging stations are also unmanned. While self-service options have become mainstream due to rising labor costs and a push for operational efficiency, they have made access significantly more difficult for customers who need or prefer assistance.

Currently, there are no legal standards or mandatory accommodations for people with disabilities at self-service stations. A few oil companies run voluntary campaigns, but no systemic support exists.

A photo of a self-service gas station in Yongin, Gyeonggi. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

“There are many calls to improve convenience for people with disabilities using self-service gas stations and EV charging,” a Ministry of Health and Welfare official said. “But because there are no relevant regulations, it’s something we’re still trying to figure out. We plan to meet with the gas station association soon to discuss potential improvements.”

Some local governments are taking the lead. In June, Yongin, Gyeonggi, became the first city in the country to introduce a system at self-service stations allowing drivers to scan a QR code to summon an attendant. Of the city’s 131 self-service stations, 52 have agreed to participate.

“About 70 percent of stations in the city are self-service, so the inconvenience for disabled drivers was significant,” said a Yongin city official. “The ability to request assistance without leaving the vehicle has been well received.”

“Before QR codes, we had to note down the license plate numbers of our regular disabled customers so we could come out and assist them,” said Lim Sung-soo, who runs one of the participating gas stations. “That wasn’t ideal.”

The new system, Lim said, is helpful not just for people with disabilities but for other drivers who might want assistance as well.

Jeon Ji-hye, a social welfare professor at Incheon National University, said the government's accessibility policy should go beyond expanding parking spaces and toll discounts.

“The state must address not only physical barriers, but also attitudinal ones when designing accessibility policies,” she said.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY CHAE HYE-SEON [[email protected]]